The influence of involvement on purchase intention for new world wine

Is wine perception influenced by sustainability information? Insights from a consumer experiment with fungus resistant grape and organic wines

Literature has highlighted that the organic attribute has heuristic value for many consumers, representing an overarching signifier of positive characteristics. Nowadays a plethora of alternative systemic approaches side organic production in the aim to improve the overall sustainability of the agrifood sector. Current study, based on blind and informed tasting, measured sustainability information influence on respondents' (n = 162) perceptions of organic and fungus-resistant grape (FRG) white wines. Findings of the within-subject non hypothetical experiment revealed that information has a stronger, positive impact on participants' perception of organic wine (increasing 13 % monetary preferences) compared to FRG wine (+9%). Additionally, attitudinal characteristics driving consumers' preferences towards FRG wine diverge from organic core motivations.

Sensory Perception and Willingness to Pay for a Local Ancient Pear Variety: Evidence from In-Store Experiments in Italy

Product optimisation is one of the most crucial phases in the new product development or launch process. This work proposes applying penalty analysis to investigate the impact of not just-about-right (JAR) sensorial aspects on willingness to pay (WTP) and an overall liking for a local Italian ancient pear variety and to verify the mediating role of pleasantness in the relationship between not-JAR sensory attributes and consumers' WTP using structural equation model (SEM). One hundred and twelve non-expert participants recruited during an in-store experiment evaluated overall liking and JAR attributes and were involved in an in-field experimental auction based on the non-hypothetical Becker-DeGroot-Marshak (BDM) mechanism. The participants' average WTP for the sample was EUR 3.18 per kilogramme. Only juiciness and sourness significantly impact consumers' overall liking but not on consumers' WTP. Moreover, pleasantness did not mediate the relationship between non-balanced sensorial aspects and WTP. In conclusion, the penalty analysis for attributes not being JAR in monetary and hedonic terms is a beneficial research approach for a deep-inside evaluation of the potentiality of the product in the marketplace, providing helpful directions for product optimisation. Results show market potential for the local ancient pear variety 'Angelica'.

Dairy purchase behaviors: Increasing understanding of Chinese consumers using a consumer involvement segmentation approach

Understanding consumers' purchase behaviors is fundamental to the success of the dairy industry. With its economic importance, the Chinese market is critical to dairy producers in most countries around the world. However, understanding consumers in this market is particularly challenging, as these consumers often have a different relationship with dairy products than consumers elsewhere in the world, given the country's historical dairy-related scandals. This special relationship can be characterized by what consumer behavior researchers call "high involvement," indicating that Chinese dairy consumers often attempt to reduce the level of risk associated with buying dairy products. Surprisingly, although this relationship affects several important aspects of purchase behavior, examination of the concept of involvement in the dairy sector has not been widely considered. Of note, there is no understanding of how Chinese consumers vary in their involvement levels and their implications on their dairy purchase behaviors. Nor have there been involvement-based insights provided on how dairy companies can position their marketing strategy to suit the needs of these consumers better. Thus, this study proposes a new approach to understanding Chinese consumer dairy decisions by introducing "consumer involvement" as a segmentation tool through which individuals' behaviors can be predicated according to their involvement profile. Based on an online survey administered in Shanghai using 1,073 dairy consumers, principal component analysis confirmed involvement with dairy is a multidimensional construct with the following 4 factors: pleasure value, symbolic value, risk importance, and risk probability. A 2-step cluster analysis identified 4 consumer clusters based on their involvement profile: face-concerned dairy lover, carefree dairy consumer, cautious dairy lover, and confused dairy consumer. According to a one-way ANOVA test and cross-tabulation with χ2 test, these consumer segments behave differently in relation to the extensiveness of decision making, cue utilization, trust of information sources, and consumption behavior. The outcomes in this paper further explain why efforts to restore consumer trust for dairy products do not work among some consumers, as individuals may exhibit diverse attitudes toward such information due to their heterogeneous involvement levels. The study also provides suggestions for market practitioners and organizations to develop effective target market strategies and policies according to different consumer clusters.

Application of Conjoint Analysis and 5Ps Marketing Mix in Identifying Customer Preference of Alcohol Consumption among Youths in the Philippines

Alcoholic beverages have long been one of the most popular commodities. They have been mass-produced worldwide because of their popularity and demand. On a survey by Statista in 2021, alcohol consumption is projected to increase in the Philippines. Thus, the popularity of numerous alcoholic beverages piqued the curiosity of consumers and researchers alike. This study used conjoint analysis that aims to have a better understanding of consumer preferences for alcohol consumption among youths. Additionally, the study considered the following attributes: (1) type of alcoholic beverage, (2) oral sensation, (3) flavor, (4) origin, (5) color, and (6) price. Results revealed that the product’s price is the most crucial attribute influencing consumer preferences by 26.311%, followed by the type of alcoholic beverage with an importance score of 26.237%. The least considered attribute is the product’s color, having an importance score of 7.790%. These were supported by two statistical tests, the Pearson’s Correlation Test and Kendall’s Tau Test, which both obtained a value higher than 0.8. Managerial implications were presented in the study to help provide strategies and development for alcoholic beverage distribution in the Philippines based on the findings of this study, which relate to young consumers.

An intention to use mobile applications for medical supplies and equipment ordering in clinics

This research developed a mobile medical supplies and equipment ordering app (MMSEOA) model and attempted to validate it empirically. When customers (clinic doctors) make purchases on the app, two types of reasons can be identified: "reasons for" include enduring involvement (emotions), product description, and awareness (familiarity) while the "reasons against", were demonstrated as perceived risk and resistance to change (fear). This study aimed to strengthen and illuminate the most significant dimensions that enhance a doctor's understanding of MMSEOA and the intention to use it. Furthermore, this research investigated the model's applicability among clinic doctors in Jordan. The model was empirically examined using a sample of 342 Jordanian clinic doctors and their secretaries who use mobile services in general. The survey method, a quantitative approach, was utilized; the partial least squares structural equation modeling system was used to investigate the proposed framework. The results demonstrate that these "reasons for" positively influenced the intention to use the MMSEOA except product description. Similarly, reasons against negatively influence the customers' intention to use the MMSEOA app, while perceived risk had no effect on the intention to use. These findings suggested that researchers should focus more on the services, products, and the main function of the MMSEOA to determine their influences on customers' intention to use. This will improve the buying habits related to purchasing medical supplies using MMSEOA and other online platforms, specifically in Jordan and the Middle East at large.

Involvement Theory with Market Segmentation: Effect of False Functional Food Advertising on Purchase Intention

In certain cases, people’s health can be compromised or medical treatment delayed as a result of their misplaced belief in false advertisements and purchasing of functional foods. These advertisements can be divided into three distinct types of claims: nutrition, health, and reduction in disease risk. This study analysed how, after consumers realise advertising violations, their intention to purchase functional foods with different claims are affected by the degree of consumer involvement (product, advertising, and situational involvement) and region of residence. A total of 1046 survey responses were collected for analysis. The results reveal that both product and advertising involvement influence purchase intention through the mediation of situational involvement. Residents in nonnorthern regions of Taiwan exhibited a greater effect of overall involvement on purchase intention than did those in the north. In addition, products and advertisements with health claims had a stronger effect on purchase intention than did those with nutrition and disease risk reduction claims. The results indicate that, for functional foods and advertisements with nutrition and health claims, the effects of overall involvement on nonnorthern residents’ purchase intentions were greater than those on the northern residents, but for functional foods with disease risk reduction claims, the effects were greater on the northern residents’ purchase intentions.

Consumer perspectives of wine typicity and impact of region information on the sensory perception of Cabernet Sauvignon wines

Region of origin is used in marketing of wine and by consumers as a wine quality indicator. To better understand wine consumers' purchase decisions, sensory perception, and wine liking in connection with wine provenance, this study used regular wine consumers (n = 112) to evaluate two Cabernet Sauvignon wines from each of four wine producing regions through hedonic rating and rate-all-that-apply (RATA) testing in conjunction with pre- and post-tasting questionnaires. The majority of consumers rated the region of origin stated on the label as important for purchase intent and for deciding the price they were willing to pay for a wine. The questionnaire also revealed that consumers were familiar with the wine typicity concept, but seemed to consider it only as an extrinsic characteristic rather than an intrinsic aspect of the wine. By randomly dividing the consumers into two groups (n = 56 each), one having information on the origin of samples and the other tasting without such knowledge, it was demonstrated that origin information had a positive impact on hedonic scores. Sensory profiling revealed that origin information did not impact the sample sensory characterisation, and liking for both groups was related to 'full body', 'jammy', and 'dark fruits' attributes. Some regional profile features were apparent for the samples, such as 'minty' for Coonawarra and savoury attributes for Bordeaux. Overall, this work highlighted that consumers could differentiate wines from distinct regions on the basis of sensory characteristics.

Message Sidedness in Health Claims: Roles of Mood State, Product Involvement, and Self-Rated Health Status

Most of the previous studies with respect to message sidedness mainly focus on the effect of message sidedness in advertising on behavior of consumers and it is unknown how consumers respond to different message sidedness when a one-sided or two-sided message in claims shown on the package of a healthy food product. This study explores the underlying mechanisms how consumers respond to different message sidedness in claims. The results indicate that two-sided messages in claims are more persuasive than one-sided messages because they pass the “sufficiency threshold.” In addition, the results of this article show that mood state, product involvement, and self-rated health of individuals moderate the relationship between message sidedness in claims and product evaluation.

An Extended Model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Predict Local Wine Consumption Intention and Behaviour

The consumption of local agricultural products boosts the regional economy and employment whilst preserving the rural landscape and environment. In this research, the background of local wine consumption behaviour will be studied, using an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS–SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The study was conducted in the Canary Islands with a sample of 762 people. The results confirmed a relationship between intention and perceived behavioural control. Furthermore, the ethnocentric personality was found to have a positive influence and the cosmopolitan personality a negative influence. The personal norm and place identity were also confirmed to be related to attitudes towards such behaviour. This study contributes to the literature by adding constructs to this theory that are relevant to local wine consumption. It also addresses the implications for those involved in the marketing of local products.

Exploring Corporate Social Responsibility in the Italian wine sector through websites

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how the Italian wine industry discloses corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and quality certifications and the corresponding determinants via websites. The study also aims to investigate the relationship between CSR practices and financial performance. The information consistency between the quality certificates reported on corporate websites and official database statements is also explored. Lastly, the paper investigates how the relationship between the size of wineries and CSR disclosure changes according to firms' geographic location.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyses CSR corporate communication via the websites of a sample of Italian wineries by adjusting the theoretical framework developed by Amran (2012) to the wine sector's peculiarities. Moreover, a cross-certification analysis and a moderation analysis were performed to fulfil the purpose of the research.

Findings

The analysis revealed the extensive use of CSR disclosure via websites. It was found that company size positively affects CSR disclosure and Quality Certification Disclosure (QCD), while geographic location slightly moderates the relationship between the two variables. In addition, a negative relationship between CSR disclosure and corporate financial performance and its reverse causality emerged. Moreover, for most wineries, information consistency between the quality certificates reported on corporate websites and official database statements was observed.

Research limitations/implications

The study's main limitation is that the search process was performed during lockdown. Therefore, the examined issues could change in the near future due to the shift in priorities that the COVID-19 pandemic is determining.

Practical implications

The results can help managers implement CSR disclosure and QCD practices to enhance stakeholder legitimacy and enable their companies to compete in strongly competitive international markets.

Originality/value

The paper represents the first study investigating online QCD and its consistency in the Italian wine sector.

Customers response to online food delivery services during COVID-19 outbreak using binary logistic regression

This study aims to empirically measure the distinctive characteristics of customers who did and did not order food through Online Food Delivery services (OFDs) during the COVID-19 outbreak in India. Data are collected from 462 OFDs customers. Binary logistic regression is used to examine the respondents' characteristics, such as age, patronage frequency before the lockdown, affective and instrumental beliefs, product involvement and the perceived threat, to examine the significant differences between the two categories of OFDs customers. The binary logistic regression concludes that respondents exhibiting high-perceived threat, less product involvement, less perceived benefit on OFDs and less frequency of online food orders are less likely to order food through OFDs. This study provides specific guidelines to create crisis management strategies.

Consumers' reactions to nutrition and ingredient labelling for wine - A cross-country discrete choice experiment

The purpose of this study is to examine consumers' reactions to the introduction of nutrition and ingredient labelling for wine, a product that is so far still exempt from mandatory nutrition and ingredient labelling. It also analyses the effect of positive and negative information about the use of ingredients in wine on consumers' choice. Representative samples for wine consumers from three distinctly different countries representing old and new wine markets (Australia, n = 745; Germany, n = 716; Italy, n = 715) completed a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with graphically simulated wine back labels. For each country, respondents were randomly allocated to a reference group and two different treatment conditions where they received newspaper-like information (positive, negative) before making choices. Results for the reference condition show that consumers across all three countries have a significant positive utility for detailed nutrition information. Instead, ingredient information only receives a positive utility in Italy, whereas German and Australian respondents do not receive utility from ingredient labelling. When consumers in the treatment group are confronted with negative media information the attribute importance of ingredients significantly increases across all three countries, clean labelled products without ingredients are preferred, and a significantly higher share of consumers in Germany and Italy prefer not to buy any wine. The treatment effect of positive media information on consumers' wine choice is lower than that of negative information. The results of the study have implications for the pending new regulation of wine labelling and for communication strategies of the wine industry that should actively inform consumers about the necessity of ingredients in wine production.

Multi-response approaches in product-focused investigations: Methodological variations across three case studies

Consumers' product experiences are increasingly uncovered using approaches that extend beyond acceptability and sensory perception. The present research is situated in this context and adopts a multi-response approach to jointly obtain attitudinal, conceptual, emotional, situational and/or sensorial evaluations. With the aim of greater methodological understanding, three case studies were conducted with samples in three product categories (fruit- and vegetable-based beverages (n = 10), seafood (n = 6) and chocolate (n = 7)) using consumers from New Zealand (n = 196), India (living in New Zealand) (n = 138) and China (n = 167), conducted in central location (CLT) or home-use test (HUT) settings. Showcasing this multi-response approach and demonstrating its versatility in product research is the main contribution of the research. Across the three case studies different combinations of response types and scaling formats were successfully used (including CATA (check-all-that-apply) questions, yes/no questions and rating scales), and it was also found that tasted foods and written stimuli (food names) served equally well as stimuli. The degree of liking or disliking for individual samples was a useful benchmark against which to interpret the other types of responses, and situational appropriateness, obtained as item-by-use (IBU) responses always contributed unique insights. Facial emoji to obtain product-emotion associations yielded less valuable insights than a conceptualisation task. As expected, and in accordance with the rationale for adopting a multi-response approach, the combination of response types yielded greater stimuli insights than would otherwise have been gained. This held for each of the three case studies and supported future applications using a multi-response approach that extends beyond many related initiatives by including four response types in each case study.

Development and validation of the food involvement inventory (FII) featuring the attitudinal constructs

Food involvement is one of the personality traits that influences the food cognition and behavior of consumers. Given the irrelevance of previous food involvement scales such as measuring lifestyle diligence and a food culture, this study aimed to develop the food involvement inventory (FII) designed specifically for foods and current consumers. This study focused on identifying the factors/constructs of the FII that would best represent and explain food involvement through item generation, administration, and validation. The collected items from involvement-related scales and expert discussions were administrated based on the evidence of construct and content. Validation of the FII based on the exploratory factor analysis identified four attitudinal components as constructs (affective, cognitive, behavioral-purchase, and behavioral-cooking) within the final 25 items. These four constructs constituted structural models for the FII, and the models were shown to be acceptable in the confirmatory factor analysis.

Perception of the Attributes of Sherry Wine and Its Consumption in Young People in the South of Spain

The wine with the designation of origin “Jerez-Xerez-Sherry” is one of the most produced in Spain and with a greater volume of exports abroad. This study analyzes the preferences of Sherry Wine and its different varieties, based on gender and knowledge and interest in the world of wine. Similarly, the influence of the attributes of Sherry Wine on its choice and consumption is investigated. For this purpose, 1502 participants (1407 wine consumers) were recruited; among the consumers, 58.5% are women, and 74.3% have little knowledge of wine (Mean age 22.6; SD = 3.07; range 18–30). Data collection was done through an online survey. The results reveal that among the types of wines from Sherry, the Fino and the Manzanilla are the most chosen. The young people who have the highest consumption of wine are those who have the most prior knowledge of wine. Also, these young people attribute their choice of wine to intrinsic factors, and even women and connoisseurs are more important in this type of dimension. But the importance of the attributes differs according to the types of wines (Fino/Cream—flavor, Palo Cortado/Pedro Ximénez—color, Amontillado/Manzanilla—price and Oloroso—prizes). These findings will allow establishing measures for their promotion, as well as for the design and specific sales strategies for each type of wine.

Exploring Winery Visitors in the Emerging Wine Regions of the North Central United States

Most of the pioneering studies related to wineries were conducted in famous wine regions, the results of which were not especially applicable to the small and emerging wineries in the United States. These wineries rely heavily on visitors’ on-site purchases; this highlights the importance of understanding winery visitors’ behaviors. This study explored the sequential relationships among winery visitors’ pre-trip characteristics (motivation, wine involvement), on-site experiences (perceived value), and post-trip evaluations (satisfaction, place attachment, winery loyalty). Intercepted winery visitors provided their e-mail addresses and were sent an online survey. Partial-least-squares structural equation modeling results showed that leisure-motivated and low wine-involved visitors perceive more diverse values in their winery experiences. Visitors’ perceived services, social benefits, and wine-quality values contributed to the positive post-trip evaluations. Winery owners stand to benefit from this research by being able to design winery experiences that are highly valued. Limitations are discussed and future research is suggested.

Online wine purchasing: a comparison between South Africa and Italy

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore South African and Italian consumers' attitude toward online wine purchasing. In detail, through the application of the technology acceptance model (TAM), this research intends to explain the antecedents of consumers actual online purchasing of wine in South Africa and Italy.

Design/methodology/approach

Two questionnaire-based surveys were conducted, yielding a sample of 190 consumers in South Africa and 179 in Italy. Data were analyzed through several techniques including t-tests, principal component factor analyses, and binary logistic regressions.

Findings

Overall, the findings show that South African and Italian online wine consumers are more similar than the offline wine consumers. However, perceived usefulness has an impact on the use of the online channel to purchase wine in Italy but not in South Africa, whereas perceived complexity has an effect in South Africa but not in Italy.

Research limitations/implications

This study adopts a convenience sampling technique, suggesting that the used samples are not representative of the whole population. Moreover, TAM offers a simple and clear understanding of the actual use of wine e-commerce but overlooks other potential explanatory factors.

Practical implications

Targeting online wine consumers in South Africa and Italy opens up the opportunity for using cross-national highly standardized product and communication strategies. However, different approaches are required to convert offline wine consumers to online wine consumers in South Africa and Italy.

Originality/value

This is the first cross-national study investigating consumers' attitude toward online wine purchasing in South Africa and Italy. Moreover, it offers a comparison of online and offline wine consumers in the two countries. In addition, the research offers a new point of view over consumers of Italy and South Africa, two important countries in terms of wine production and consumption that can be very beneficial for wineries owners and managers.

Analysing conjoint data with OLS and PLS regression: a case study with wine

BACKGROUND

This paper presents a case study with wine where two statistical methods for the analysis of rating-based conjoint analysis data were applied. Traditionally, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression is used to estimate the relative importance of the experimental factors and the part-worth utilities of factor levels. Partial least squares (PLS) regression, which is a popular tool in sensory and consumer science, can also be used for the analysis of interval-level conjoint data.

RESULTS

Using conjoint analysis, purchase intentions for Californian red and white wine were obtained from a convenience sample of young US adults (n ≈ 250). OLS and PLS regression uncovered the same systematic patterns in the data: negative utility associated with more expensive wine, and positive utility associated with famous wine regions. While OLS regression provided more accessible top-line results, an advantage of PLS regression was the graphical format of results. This provided easy insight to individual differences in the importance attached to the factors driving purchase intention.

CONCLUSION

OLS and PLS regression can complement each other in the analysis of interval-level conjoint data. Dual analysis can help to ensure that the right insights are drawn from the study and communicated to internal/external clients. It may also facilitate communication within project teams.

Conjoint analysis on the purchase intent for traditional fermented soy product (natto) among Japanese housewives

The effect of sensory and extrinsic attributes on consumer intentions to purchase the Japanese traditional fermented soybean product natto was evaluated using conjoint analysis. Six attributes with 2 levels each were chosen and manipulated: price (high compared with low), the country of origin of the soybeans (domestic compared with imported), stickiness (strong compared with moderate), smell (rich compared with moderate), attached seasonings (attached compared with no attached seasonings), and the environmental friendliness of the packaging (high compared with low). A fractional factorial design was applied and 8 hypothetical product labels were produced. A sample of 479 Japanese housewives ranked these product labels based on their purchase intentions. Overall purchase intention was affected by country of origin, attached seasonings, and price; those attributes accounted for 81.0%, while the sensory attributes of the product accounted for 19.0% of purchase intents. In order to estimate market segments for the natto products based on consumer preference, a cluster analysis was performed. It identified 4 segments of consumers: 1 oriented to attached seasonings, another conscious of the price, and the other 2 oriented to origins. The behavioral and demographic characteristics of the respondents had a limited influence on segment membership.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  This research was conducted to understand how consumers valuate various sensory and nonsensory product attributes based on their assessment of the overall product in the case of Japanese fermented soy product (natto). The data of this research would be of great importance both in understanding consumer behavior and in designing strategies for product development.